Latest news with #ABBA
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Studio Two Six One: A Southside sanctuary of summer creativity
Founded and run by art educator and creative powerhouse Karin Hepburn, Studio Two Six One is part gallery, part workshop hub, and part handmade boutique. But more than that, it's a place that invites locals—children and adults alike—to slow down, explore, and express. Kids Summer sessions 2025 Kids experimenting with clay during a hands-on summer workshop – and an introduction to Animation. This summer, the studio's calendar is packed. Weekdays bring immersive art camps for kids: painting, pottery, printmaking, even animation! "The idea is to give young people the freedom to create, but also the chance to build real skills," says Karin. Each session is small and hands-on, ensuring every child gets personal guidance—an art class, yes, but also a kind of creative retreat. Meanwhile, adults are rediscovering their own artistic spark at the studio's ever-popular Paint & Sip evenings. 'It's less about being perfect, more about having a prosecco in one hand and a paintbrush in the other,' one attendee jokes. These relaxed sessions, often themed (think ABBA, beach scenes, or bold florals), are more social gathering than formal class—and they've become a hit. (Image: 'That's Life' life drawing sessions launch this month) Evenings at the gallery: where creativity meets conversation Beyond the workshops, the studio also houses a thoughtfully curated gallery space, showcasing local Scottish artists and makers. Delicate ceramics, original paintings, handmade jewellery, soy candles—it's the kind of place where nearly everything has a story, and all of it is made with care. (Image: Lesley Banks (guest artist) pictured with Clare Henry) But perhaps the real magic of Studio Two Six One is how personal it feels. It's not a chain, not a trend. It's Karin greeting you at the door. It's a child proudly walking out with a clay sculpture still drying in their hands. It's a quiet reminder that creativity still lives in our communities—not just in museums or online, but in real, local spaces like this one. Visit Studio Two Six One Address: 261 Mearns Road, Newton Mearns, Glasgow G77 5LU Website: Janice Affleck porcelain ceramics. Made in Glasgow.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Antony Costa calls Mama Mia! The Party 'the best job I've had outside Blue'
Antony Costa leads the cast of Mamma Mia! The Party, starring as the owner of Nikos Taverna on the Greek island of Skopelos Antony Costa has branded his starring role in Mama Mia! The Party 'the best job outside of Blue I've ever had.' The boyband star, 44, is appearing as patriarch Nikos the co-owner of Nikos Taverna on the Greek Island of Skopelos in the hit show. Since opening in August 2019, Mamma Mia! The Party London has welcomed over 600,000 guests, delivered over 1500 performances, and has been visited by guests from 110 countries for an evening of dancing, dining and singing to some of ABBA's greatest hits. As the sun sets in Skopelos, guests take their seats at Nikos' family-run taverna where they enjoy a delicious four-course Greek feast, while an action-packed love story unfolds around them. Following the performance, which is filled with timeless ABBA anthems such as Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and Waterloo, guests are encouraged to get up and sing and dance the night away as the taverna transforms into a glittering ABBA disco. "I absolutely love it because you just don't know what you are going to get from one night to the next," says Antony. Every audience is different. When you're in it, there's you can do other than just let go and enjoy yourself." Antony began entertaining crowds in the show in 2023 and said it was a no brainer to return. "When I got the call to come back I literally jumped at the chance. I was like, "Yep, I'm around Let's do it. Let's go!" The party also has the seal of approval from Abba royalty, including Björn Ulvaeus who helped mastermind the show. Antony says: "Bjorn's team had this idea of creating this immersive show because he said when you go and see Mama Mia! the West End show people are itching to get up and dance. You can't help it with Abba and that's where the idea for Mama Mia! The Party started," explains Antony. "There's something about ABBA songs that no matter how many times you've heard the songs, you still just want to get up and dance. I mean you look at the crowds we have and it's children with their parents, there's teenagers with their parents, adults with their mums and dads, older people just dancing and singing away. "It is a testament to Abba as a pop group, 50 years ago they came out with Waterloo and we're still belting it out," says the boyband star. As well as paying homage to one of the greatest pop groups of all time, Antony's role in the show also allows him to reconnect with his Greek roots. 'I based the character on my late grandfather, his mannerism and characteristics, and, yeah, it was it was a lovely part to sort of get my teeth into. I had to do my homework don't get me wrong, but it was easy preparation to do as it's not a character I didn't know," says Anthony. "It's about getting the little elements right like how he pronounced words and the broken-in English he spoke in. He came over from Cyprus as a young lad supporting his family, my dad and his and sisters." Antony gets so into character during his performance that he even refuses to acknowledge fans who mention his boyband background. "We had a guy in who had come down from up north and he was like, 'oh my God, I'm a massive Blue fan, and I'm seeing you guys in Manchester!', and I was like, 'Sorry, who are Blue? I have no idea what you're talking about.' He was very confused but while the show is on we are on the Greeks island of Skopelos where the Mamma Mia! films are filmed." The 02 venue is transformed so that as soon as audiences walk through the blue doors they immediately feel as though they've stepped foot in balmy Greece - with incredible attention to detail bringing the space alive - as well as the actors working their way through the tables. "It looks like a village I would have seen as a small boy," says Antony. "It still freaks me out to this day that I walk in every night, you know, and think this is my place of work." While Antony is having a ball every night, the immersive elements of the show have not been without their fair share of incidents. "I've tripped over, I've fallen, I've slipped - trust me I've done it all," laughs the star. "When something like that happens you've got to make it look as if it's happening here and now. Even though I've done hundreds of shows over the years, you've still got to make it as if it's that night is the only night. "If I trip over I pretend to have a go at the waiters because that's the sort of thing my character would do. If a drink spills we can make it work. It's all in jest. It's not real but it's a real for that moment. "When we hear a plate smash we all shout out 'Opa' which is you would do that in a Greek restaurant anyway. It keeps things authentic!" Antony has the seal of approval from his Greek family who have been to see the show four times. "They love it especially my dad, who came over from Cyprus in 1961. After my dad saw it he said, 'You based that on my dad didn't you?' It meant a lot that he noticed." Antony joined the boyband Blue, with members Lee Ryan, Simon Webbe and Duncan James, in 2000 and are celebrating their 25th Mia! The Party originally opened in Stockholm in January 2016. The O2 London arena tickets including admission, a four-course set meal and a welcome drink.
Time Out
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Why has London's new immersive Elvis Presley show been so controversial – and is it really that bad?
As Time Out's theatre editor I tend to be responsible for most of our immersive coverage as well, but I wasn't able to make the big opening night for London's long gestating new Elvis Presley experience Elvis Evolution. So rather than see it with celebrities or invited guests, I ended up joining one of the first public performances of the show. I didn't go in with any particular expectations of what it would involve and personally I had a decent time, with some reservations. But I thought the first half was perfectly enjoyable: slick, reasonably informative, and I didn't have any problem with it focussing on Elvis's childhood best friend Sam Bell as a way to take a different look at The King. 🎤 The official Time Out review of Elvis Evolution. The focus of the second half is Elvis's legendary 1968 comeback TV special. Stood milling around waiting for the 'live performance', it was here that I first realised a portion of the audience was on the cusp of mutiny: a lot of them clearly hadn't enjoyed the first half, and were muttering to each other that they were hoping for something spectacular from the concert section, with at least two groups in my earshot referencing the blockbuster ABBA Voyage concert experience in Stratford. Elvis Evolution is in fact nothing like ABBA Voyage, or not much like it: we get a trio of live musicians playing along to highlights of the 1968 TV special, which have apparently been sharpened up digitally for the big screen but basically look like a blown up version of something you could easily watch on YouTube. Some of my fellow audience members were not happy. Some booed. Some left early. Many did look like they were having a good time – the '68 special is a really good performance – but it is rare to hear what I might call a theatre audience so audibly disgruntled. Fast forward a couple of days and disillusioned attendees of Elvis Evolution are making headlines on the BBC website and in the tabloids and the show is in real danger of getting framed as an unmitigated disaster. But is that fair? Let's dig in a bit. Were audiences promised an ABBA Voyage -style concert experience? To be clear, there was never going to be an ABBA Voyage -style Elvis experience. That show requires a special dedicated concert arena, millions of pounds of tech development, and moreover the enthusiastic participation of ABBA themselves, who are all still alive. Elvis famously left the building decades ago. But just because an ABBA Voyage -alike experience was unlikely doesn't mean audiences didn't expect one. When the show was announced way back in January 2024, 'holographic projections' were promised (in practise this almost always means a Victorian illusion called Pepper's Ghost, as actual holographic projection doesn't really exist). In at least one interview Andrew McGuinness, founder of show creators Layered Reality used ABBA Voyage as a reference point ('it's a fusion of theatre, cinema and something like ABBA Voyage '). Although Layered Reality have been upfront about the fact there was no longer a holographic element and subsequent interviews sought to play down any similarities to ABBA Voyage, it's fair to say none of this had the cut through of the initial announcement. Perhaps more relevantly, it's probably true to say that ABBA Voyage has not only massively raised the bar for expectations of a concert experience from a defunct musical act, but it's virtually become the sole reference point. If ABBA Voyage didn't exist, I have a feeling Elvis Evolution would have got a much less rough ride. Is Elvis Evolution overpriced? Elvis Evolution starts at £75 a ticket. This doesn't stack up horribly against West End stalls prices, but it's a lot for a show that doesn't have anyone famous in it and leans heavily on pre-recorded sections. It was clearly pretty expensive to develop and has a good number of actors and musicians per performance, so £20 fringe type prices are clearly a pipe dream, but it would probably take the edge off people's complaints if tickets were around half what they are now, though it's impossible for me to say whether that's financially viable or not. It's very difficult to look at the VIP packages and conclude that they're good value: both the £180 Burning Love package and £300 If I Can Dream package offer little more than around £40 worth of cocktails, a bit of reserved seating, and a few miscellaneous souvenir bits. Having three different bar venues seems excessive and suggests that extracting further money from ticket holders is a central part of the show's business model. And as a sidenote, if your audience is encouraged to be two cocktails down by the concert scene don't be surprised if they're a bit lairy. Is Elvis Evolution a bad show? In all honestly I thought it was a decent piece of immersive theatre. But I wasn't really coming at it from a 'massive Elvis fan' perspective. There have been some complaints about the first half focussing on the obscure character of Sam Bell. I don't think this was cynically done at all and was probably aiming to offer an interesting new perspective on Elvis, a figure whose biography everyone who buys a ticket will be well aware of already. Probably it would have gone down better if it had been a more straightforward hagiography. I should also say that the people booing were a minority and that the peak of disgruntlement came when it became apparent that the 'concert' would simply be the special: my audience seemed a lot happier by the end and had mostly enjoyed the band augmented playback of the special. Nonetheless, it's hard to imagine the current backlash will help Elvis Evolution, and some sort of rethink – if only of its marketing – is surely is order if it's to make to the end of its current December booking period.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The ultimate karaoke songs, according to science - so, is YOUR favourite on the list?
When it comes to karaoke, picking the right song can either make or break your night. Now, an expert has revealed the scientifically-backed singalong tunes to guarantee a good evening. Oxford University mathematician Dr Tom Crawford has devised a formula that combines the number of verses, repetition of chorus, beats per minute (BPM) and the year the song was released. The equation generates a score out of 100 and, from this, Dr Crawford has come up with the top 10 mood-boosting classics of all time. So, whether you're a Mariah-in-the-making or simply can't hold a tune, these will help you find joy, he says. 'There's some serious maths behind a karaoke belter,' he explained. Coming in first place is Bon Jovi's 'Livin' On a Prayer', which generated a score of 91. Released in 1986, it is mathematically proven to increase dopamine levels, Dr Crawford said. Close behind are Whitney Houston's 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody', which scored 90, and 'Don't Look Back in Anger' by Oasis, which reached an impressive 89. In joint fourth place is 'Queen of country pop' Shania Twain with her iconic 'Man! I Feel Like a Woman' and - pivoting to a completely different category - '500 Miles' by Scottish rock duo The Proclaimers. Both of these tracks scored 88, according to the formula. ABBA comes in sixth place with their song 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!', which scored 85, while the 2004 hit 'Unwritten' by Natasha Beddingfield came in joint seventh with a score of 84. Adele, known for her power ballads, also placed seventh with her melancholy 'Someone Like You' alongside the catchy pop single 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls. Finally Mario's signature song 'Let Me Love You' - which was released in 2004 - took tenth spot with 83 points. Dr Crawford's method is based on data collected from 2,000 karaoke lovers across the UK. 'People love a fast-paced song with an average 126 BPM and three repeated chorus' for every two verses, just like most pop songs - hence why common favourites are scoring highly in the research,' he said. 'With ABBA dominating the 70's, through to Adele in the 2010's, the average release year of a karaoke classic is 1995. The top 10 karaoke songs, according to science Livin' On a Prayer - Bon Jovi (91) I Wanna Dance with Somebody - Whitney Houston (90) Don't Look Back in Anger - Oasis (89) Man! I Feel Like a Woman - Shania Twain (88) 500 Miles - The Proclaimers (88) Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) - ABBA (85) Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield (84) Someone Like You - Adele (84) Wannabe - Spice Girls (84) Let Me Love You - Mario (83) Scores in brackets are out of 100 'This captures the boyband craze, as well as Brit pop with Oasis, and girl power like the Spice Girls, showing there's some serious maths behind a karaoke belter!' The research, carried out on behalf of Three UK and Samaritans, also found that nine out of 10 people say singing gives them an 'emotional uplift' while 70 per cent said it was cathartic. While a third of people surveyed said pop music was their favourite karaoke genre, a fifth said they prefer rock songs to let rip. The majority of participants revealed they have a 'go-to' karaoke tune with ABBA, Adele and Taylor Swift being the most popular artists to turn to. The top 10 endorphin-boosting belters will be available for music fans to sing their hearts out to in new 'Kathartic Karaoke' booths, launching at festivals this summer. The booth will launch this week at Latitude Festival in Suffolk, before being moved to The Mound at Edinburgh Fringe. Sonya Trivedy, Executive Director of External Engagement at Samaritans, said: 'Music has a unique power to have a positive impact on our mental health. 'Singing, in particular, can help people process emotions, ease stress and boost mood.' The news comes shortly after a study into the origins of blushing, which required teenagers to sing karaoke and then watch the videos back. As part of research, carried out by researchers from the University of Amsterdam, 40 16-20-year-olds first took part in a karaoke session. Participants sang four songs: 'Hello' by Adele, 'Let it go' from Frozen, 'All I want for Christmas is you' by Mariah Carey and 'All the things she said' by tATu. These songs were chosen because several music experts judged these songs to be very difficult to sing – ensuring that participants would be embarrassed watching themselves singing them. As they were shown the videos of themselves and others singing their cheek temperature – an indicator of blushing – and brain activity were measured. The results revealed that blushing was stronger when participants watched themselves sing. Listening to melancholy music can improve a person's emotional well-being in times of loneliness and distress. Sad songs, in particular, can stir up a mixture of complex and 'partially positive' emotions, including nostalgia, peacefulness, tenderness, transcendence and wonder. Upbeat music that you're not consciously aware that you're listening to typically have no affect on how you feel. But actively seeking out happiness through music can sometimes improve your health and relationship satisfaction.
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
WATCH: Dancing Queens Show off Their Dance Moves
Weekend breakfast turned into a viral moment as Somizi Mhlongo and Real Housewives of Johannesburg star Christall Kay danced up a storm live on air. The duo brought serious star power, Amapiano energy, and choreographed flair to the 'Sounds Good' show. Consequently, fans can't stop talking about it. Christall posted, ' You know I am always the dancing queen 👸 🕺👯💃Thanks @somizi and @metrofmsa for the awesome jive!! It was a weekend to remember on Metro FM's #Sounds Good Breakfast Show. Celebrity choreographer and radio host Somizi Mhlongo invited Real Housewives of Johannesburg star Christall Kay into the studio. He brought out her inner dancing queen. ABBA moves In true Somizi style, the moment wasn't just an interview; it became a full-blown performance. The award-winning entertainer, choreographer to the stars, and reality TV icon whipped up a short and sassy routine. The routine was set to 'Dancing Queen' by iconic European group ABBA. The track brought big nostalgic vibes, and the duo delivered with flair. ALSO READ:WATCH: Kenny Kunene shows off his Amapiano DJing skills On-air performance Somizi and Christall performed the routine live on-air. Co-hosts Andile Ncube, Zola Mhlongo, and Keorapetse Hlope joined in, turning the studio into a spontaneous dance floor. Listeners loved every second, and social media lit up with clips of the impromptu performance. Christall, who's made headlines for her bold dance moves and glam fashion on Ultimate Girls Trip, didn't hold back. In Jamaica, they called her Britney Spears while she trended on TikTok. This little jig proved she can still bring it on the dance floor. Dancing with the best But getting to dance with Somizi? That's next level. With a resume that includes choreographing for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony, Idols SA, and countless stage productions, Somizi is a master at bringing the heat. 'Yass girl !' he joked as Christall, who later wore a tiara, nailed the routine. The chemistry, the moves, and the music made for a showstopping Metro FM moment. It served as a reminder that live radio is still where the magic happens.
